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Theatre
I10“ IIIC mediation ttl~ L‘\'L‘lll.\ ill'I'L‘L‘ls titlt‘ pereeptiorrs on a personal le\'el. So too in (IL‘L‘IxU.\ 'l'lre slur/t and the ./('H’. the \L‘ll'- pereeption ol' eaeh ol‘ the epori_\mou.\ eharaeters in this heetie ph_\.\ieal theatre shim is as mueh irrl'ormetl h_\ the media as IIIL‘IIINL‘I\C\.
But this eolleetion just seratehes the surlaee ol' \xlrat is a per\asi\e lirmge theme. (io and judge the results l‘or _\our\el\es.
Damascus, Traverse Theatre, 228 1404, 5—26 Aug (not 13, 20), times vary, £16 (£11). Previews Aug 1, 4, £11 (£5); La Femme Est Morte Or Why I Should Not F**k My Son, Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, 4-27 Aug (not 14), 4pm, £9—£10 (£7.50—£8.50). Previews until 3 Aug, £5; Bombers’ Row, Assembly @ Hill Street Theatre, 623 3030, 5-27 Aug (not 15), 3.55pm, £8.50—£1 1. Previews 3 & 4 Aug, £5; The Racket, The Zoo, 662 6892, 5-27 Aug, 5.15pm, £6.50 (£5). Previews 3 & 4 Aug, £4.50; The Arab and the Jew, Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 20-25 Aug, 1pm, £9.50 (£7.50). Previews 17-19 Aug, £5.
Enough rsenough
Iris Bahr, the multi-talented star of US comedies Curb Your Enthusiasm and King of Queens makes a dramatic change of direction with her politically potent one-woman play, Dai
\ Il'l\ Italir‘ tells ol the time she \\a\
deemed ‘too pretty to Na} the tre|_\
treiehhour in l S \llettlll. Am: or Quit/1x. it's hard to helre\e that rust last rriorrth her \xork \\a\ hemp \lltt\\\'il\k‘tl tor a \peeial atitlieriee at the l'mtetl Nations in Next \ork due to its politieal :_‘IH\ ll;l\.
.-\ million miles lrom her on \ereen personas in some Hl;\lllL‘l'le;t‘\ top soaps. Haht‘K one \mmair \IIH\\. lhrr'. \et in a 'l'el .\\i\ eale. just llllltllIL'\ hel‘ore a strieitle homher enters. Illlltl\ a rumor up to the realities and eorrrp|e\rtie\ ol' \\at‘. Halrr pla_\\ eaeh ol the lit eharaeterx. IIIIhIIIl\\lII“_'I_\ antl tlll\\ ittirigh availing their late.
()riee Bahr had the idea tor the pieee. hr'irigrire it to an audience “as a rieeessit). ‘l \rrtltlenl} l‘elt there \\;t\ \tt much to \a_\ and e\plore.' e\plain\ Bahr. ‘So mtreh surrounding: the polities. the religions or the idea «it lite and death is open to question.~
Bahr eertairrl} has the credentials to tell \tlt‘ll a poterttiall} eorrtro\er\ial \tor_\. Horn and raisetl m the Hrom. \he mo\etl to Israel at the age ol l3. Bahr \Htllltl later eoirrplete t\\o _\ear\ ol' militar'} \er\iee lor the eotmtr}. ‘\\‘hat \\a\ interesting ahotrt that earl} time in Israel \\a\ [hill I.tI ll\L‘tl \ttlllellllllj: L‘l\e \t) l \\;t\ ltitilxltlj: at it \xith a \er_\ interesting; IIIIIItl\CI. e\en as a teenager? \a} \ Bahr.
Iler' national \er\ iee. \xhile not tlireetl} in the litre ol' lire. illil-Ul'tlL'tI ample rel'leetioii tor a
‘IT'S NOT ABOUT TAKING SIDES'
)i‘tlli:;. rrrrpressronahle mind ‘\I\ roh \\a\ {\M‘llllall) to \p\ I would sperrti ten ltottts a
ght listening into other peoples et‘llM'txiilUXh.
In the eomse ot Ila: rxxhrth ttteatts ‘errotreh‘ t. the arrtlierrte meets \\etlatta. a Russian (‘lr‘\llllllt‘. lre\ lirotlrrrarr. a (‘hrrxtrair IlttlltllllrtllhI. \htilr. ari e\tremr\t \\e\t Hank settler. \rrrira \/r/. a |’.rle\trrrr.irr rrrtelleettial. I/l. a pee! ot \rrel \harorr. antl .lessrea \Ierrtlo/a. a l atrrra aetresx ehasirre the latest \lrtltlle l ast ("orrtlret hlot‘lxhtister
‘lhere are parts ol me and m_\ eorillretetl \reux Hi there hut it's hot a polermt. tar trom It.‘ \a_\\ Hahr 'ltis ahotit ha\rrr;.' a tlrserixxron arrtl t|\tltj_' the theatre as a stage to applr honest} and \Ulllt‘lllllt‘\ htmroirr to \rttllt‘llllllj: ‘.\t‘ .llt' rtllt'll It‘tt .tll.lltl It) Illt'\t' .llt' \k'I_\ tlrtlererrt people your: ahotrt \\hat the} eorrsrtler to he then e\t'r'_\tl.o |r\eV
|ol|o\\rrr§g her teenage e\peirerree\ ot Israel. Baht lotirrre}etl through \sra. a trip \he ehrorrreletl Ill her riorr lretrorr hook. I’m-L \l/ron. \ stint at lirourr l m\er\rt\ tollo\\etl. \xhile a later moxe to l \ \xoriltl ll.|ll\l\tlllt her into an .relrtl. eorrretlrarr. outer. and thieetor. \\rth roles in hit \ltri\\\ \rreh as (hr/r lorrr /.IrI/r/r\/rr\nr. ('rwrmrrlrr/r/ III (fr/r t. Arr/e of (jut r m. [Hurt/x atrtl \Irri‘ [It‘le \oirrer'l.
ltahrk \lleet‘\\ has \eltlom pre\errtetl her lrom gttlllji haek Ill llt'l' “MIN llt‘l' tlllt‘t‘lttllal tlt‘l‘lll. Hit (in how/r ()Ht'\. lllll‘ll‘\l\k'tl trom \erateh on the streets ot Israel and \Ial'llltf: his as all lr\e ehaiaeterx. leattiretl at the ('amres Short l'ilm ('orrrer. llei \tarrtl tip t'rtlllltttlt'\ to he sprirrltletl \\ rtlr arreetlotex lrom her past.
‘ll'here has \eltlom heeri so much open \II\CII\\IHII ahotit [)ttllllt'\. \\ar aritl iaee as l'llelI rrou, l’eople \xarrt to rirrtlerstarrtl “liars going: on lietrirrtl what the} see on the rie\\\ or read in the papers.‘ .'\\ lor‘ her tt\\ll perlorrriarree. she saw. 'lt's not ahorit I;tl\lltj_‘ \ItIL'\ it‘s ahout the tttti\et'\alit_\ ol the situation and lio\\ it alleels people no matter \xhat their orierrrs.‘
Dai (Enough), Pleasance Courtyard, 0131 556 6550, 1-27 Aug (not 14), 4pm, £8-£9 (£6.50-£7.50). Previews 1-4 Aug, £5.
THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 53